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Friday, August 31, 2012

I have the honor of working with an AMAZING group of teachers....
Last week we were in our BACK TO SCHOOL meetings....you know the ones I mean....the ones that are held in the 48 hours leading up to the start of school when you have a THOUSAND last minute preparations. Well, during a break we learned the District approved a brand-new teacher to ease the bulk of 33 students in each of our existing first grade classrooms. We cheered wildly!!!
Then we realized our "meeting room" was actually the yet-to-be-interviewed-and-hired teacher's classroom.
Without hesitation or a second thought, the teaching staff (and Student Teachers) started removing all the extra furniture, multiple computers, monitors, broken items and "junk" that was stored in that room and starting moving in desks and chairs. Teachers went to their classrooms and found boarders, bulletin board papers and decorations and within an hour turned the classroom that had slowly become a giant storage closet, into a BEAUTIFUL, Kid-Friendly, First Grade classroom ready for students to arrive on the first day of school!
I can't tell you how proud I was to see all of these teachers working so hard, for someone they had never met... during the last few hours of summer....with TONS left to do in their own classrooms.....
I STILL get goosebumps! I've worked at schools in the past where teachers would've heard the news and walked away shaking their heads wondering how the new teacher would EVER be ready on time. Not this group!! What amazing ladies! What a FABULOUS way to welcome a new teacher to our building!
The new teacher was hired a few hours later. She had tears in her eyes when she saw what we had done to help make her school-life a little less stressful....take a look at some of the photos....I would've taken more, but we were all busy getting things ready ;-)

Friday, August 10, 2012

I've been offline for several weeks. This has been a rough summer for me... in June, I had to put my longtime, loyal friend Coal, my black lab down. Then in July, my dad passed away. It's taken a while for me to regroup. But I'm back now and ready to get caught up with other bloggers as well as share things here on my blog.
Based on my popular ABC Highlights game, I received a request for a new version of Sight Word Highlights. Melissa, a fellow Kindergarten teacher requested specific words in a specific order based on the MMH Treasures Reading series for Kindergarten. The list has the basic beginning reading sight words so even if you're not using the series, your students can still enjoy playing the game. The packet gradually introduces sight words on score cards/game boards leading up to the final game board with all of the words for game play.
Click on the image to learn more:

Welcome to my blog. The Teachers' Lounge is a place for sharing ideas, experiences and advice. The same is true for this blog. For many years I have worked with teachers across the country to share ideas and methods for teaching Math and the use of Technology to young children. I have also taught workshops and graduate level courses on using technology in the classroom. Economic times have caused school districts to cut back on Professional Development. The need is still there and I hope to use this blog as a means to bring a little PD to teachers. I don’t have all the answers, but am always willing to help find ways to help. I love learning from others as well. So grab a cup of coffee, and come on in The Teachers' Lounge!